As hard as it may be to imagine, Perris Auto Speedway will start its 19th season Saturday with five classes roaring around the half-mile clay oval on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. PAS will run regularly until its traditional closer Nov. 27, the 74th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix.

J.J. Yeley, now competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, won the inaugural event on March 30, 1996. Other racers who have competed at PAS include Billy Boat, Davisd Gilliland and Kyle Larson.

In addition to the closing event, other top events at PAS include the World of Outlaws sprint cars in their lone Southern California appearance (April 12), Salute to Indy (May 24), AMA Speedway Long Track Championship (July 19), Glenn Howard Classic (Sept. 13) and the Budweiser Oval Nationals (Nov. 6-8). The track will also host the popular “Night of Destruction” five times during the season, the first one set for March 29.

Four of the five classes set for the opener — Modifieds, Street Stocks, Super Stocks and American Factory Stocks – are part of the PAS lineup. The CDCRA Dwarf cars will make the first of five appearances, California Lightning Sprint car, USAC/CRA Sprint cars, PAS Senior Sprints and PAS Young Guns are also regulars at the track.

The gates will open Saturday at 5 p.m., with the first green flag falling an hour later.

Among those to keep an eye on this season will be a Citrus Hill High School senior not as old as the track. Dalton Everhart, a second-generation racer at PAS, will start his first full season in the Modified class. He has experience at the track in Street Stocks and competed against Jake and Ronnie Everhart, his father and mother.

Late in 2013, the family purchased a Modified racer and Dalton was able to race twice.

“I got a third and a fourth,” Dalton said during a recent practice. “I plan to capitalize on those finishes and get off to a good start this year.

“There is a big difference in the power and the throttle control. In the street stocks, you just floor it and drive around. In these cars, you have to have good throttle control. It is way more technical and it shows how good of a driver you are in these things, because they are tough to drive.”

“We have literally watched Dalton grow up at the races. We would see him in the stands cheering for his mom and dad when he was about 5 years old,” Kazarian said. “When he was 11 or 12, we had him playing our commercials over the PA. He then went to the pits to work on his mom and dad’s cars until he was old enough to race.

“He did pretty well in the Street Stocks, but the best he has ever looked was in the Modified in those two races last season. This is a good step up for him. He is going to do well.”

NHRA

In just the second finals appearance in her two-year Funny Car career, Alex DeJoria recorded her first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series victory Sunday at the Carquest Nationals in Chandler, Ariz. DeJoria became the fourth female to record a Funny Car win and the 14th female to win a national series event.

It wasn’t a stroll through the park; she drove past four fellow Southern California competitors. DeJoria, driving the Patron XO Cafe Toyota for Kalitta Motorsports, defeated former teammate and San Dimas resident Jeff Arend, current teammate Dell Worsham of Chino Hills, defending class champion John Force of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills’ Robert Hight in the finals.

“When we won the finals, I couldn’t believe it,” said DeJoria, daughter of entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria and wife of television personality Jesse James. “Actually, I can because I know we can do it, but it’s such a shock at the same time. It’s surreal. It’s really amazing.”

With her win. DeJoria, who spent five years in Alcohol Funny Car after racing Super Gas and Super Comp, vaulted into third in the points behind Force and Hight.

At the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona earlier in the month. DeJoria became the first female to dip under four seconds on the 1,000-foot run, running 3.997 seconds. Only eight other Funny Car drivers have gone under four seconds

“I’m so proud of my guys. We all worked so hard. Our car was consistent all weekend,” she said after the victory. “Our 60-foot times have been fast. This moment has been a long time coming. Today was just surreal and it was well worth the wait. We’ve got a hot rod underneath us now, and you’re going to see more wins out of the Patrón XO Cafe team, I’m sure of that!”

Number 3

On his victory lap after winning the Daytona 500 late Sunday night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had thoughts of his father, who died 13 years earlier on the same track at the same race.

“I thought about holding the three fingers running down the front straightaway,” Earnhardt said of his ride along the catch fence. “(But) I didn’t want to bring too much attention to that.”

The No. 3 was his dad’s car number and had been absent from NASCAR’s biggest race since the 2001 incident. However, car owner Richard Childress brought back the No. 3 for grandson Austin Dillon, a move Dale Jr. had no problem with.

“He appreciates the history of the number,” Earnhardt said about Dillon, a Sprint Cup rookie. “He appreciates not only what it meant as an Earnhardt fan, but what it meant for his family. It means something entirely unique to him separate of my father. I appreciate that and I’m happy for him and Richard.

“They’re really enjoying that experience together. That’s got to be something special, grandfather and grandson, to be able to do that together.”

Dillon, who won the Nationwide Series title a year ago, was thankful for Earnhardt’s support.

“Junior has been so supportive of me bringing back the 3,” Dillon said. “I’ve gone to him for a lot of advice lately. I can’t thank him enough. He’s been awesome to me.

“It made this whole transition a lot easier. If we didn’t have him on board, it would have definitely been tough to do this.”

Racing around SoCal

The Pacific Street Car Association return to Fontana this weekend for the Mickey Thompson SoCal Nationals at Auto Club Dragway has been canceled due to the threat of rain. No future date has been set. ... NASCAR and NHRA drivers who won championships at Irwindale in 2013 will be honored at the champions dinner Match 7 at the Monrovia Courtyard by Marriott. On the NASCAR side, winners include Ryan Partridge (late models), Zach Green (Super Stock), Rip Michaels (Super Late Models), Robby Horsby (mini-stocks), Darren Cheek (race trucks), Darren Amidon (Legends) and Ricky Lewis (Bandoleros). NHRA winners include Dave Boystun (sportsman), Jeff Folin (pro class), John Castro (super pro) and Tony Pellettera (pro bike). ... A ‘Celebration of Life” honoring the late Bud Meyer will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona. Those attending are encouraged to arrive in their finest hot rods. Meyer was considered among the original crop of pre-war California hot rodders and a much sought-after high-performance engine builder.